Storm Damage Clean-Up is Slow Going

Storms caused $12 million in property damage in some cities

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Towns and villages and villages across Illinois are still recuperating from the weekend storms that wreaked havoc across the state.

Cicero, one of the areas hit the hardest, evaluated their property damage at $12 million, according to communications director Ray Hanania. Hanania says the number will likely rise as they continue to collect information.

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In Broadview, roughly 700 homes were damaged in the storms, with basements flooding with up to seven feet of water.

“We have blocks upon blocks of streets that are littered and underwater,” said Matthew Ames, director of public works in Broadview.

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In Chicago, condo building River City’s lower levels were flooded and were subsequently closed due to loss of electricity, the Associated Press reported. The building’s 1,500 residents were evacuated and nearly 100 cars were lost in parking garage flooding.

Some cities haven’t even begun processing an evaluation of damage, as they are too preoccupied trying to clean up their streets.

A city official from Bellwood said people have been on the streets for the last several days picking up debris, and they are nowhere near finished. A town press release reported no serious injuries.

“It will take at least a couple of weeks to clean up,” Ames said. “There are residents that have lived here for 30-plus years that say they’ve never seen a storm so bad.”

Mayors and representatives from Westchester, Brookfield, Broadview, Bellwood, North Riverside, Hillside, Maywood and Cicero will meet for a press conference Monday to discuss the need for quick emergency relief.